


Shinguji Korekiyo's Notes on the Otherwordly

by stealyourbones_dot_png (deadinside_dot_com)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Ghostfic, M/M, Semi-slowburn, actually it's rantaro and kaede too, bisexual rantaro, ch 3 might not bc miyadera will be BEATEN, ch1 and ch2 will probably be the same, it's korekiyo and kaede, kiyo can talk to ghosts, korekiyo contacts rantaro and kaede after they die, korekiyo is just cryptic as shit and trying to chill, lesbian kaede, pansexual korekiyo, rantaro is kinda gay as hell, they become a valid friendship trio, wlw/mlm solidarity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:21:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23036185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadinside_dot_com/pseuds/stealyourbones_dot_png
Summary: Korekiyo Shinguji is not normal.Kaede Akamatsu is gone for good.Rantaro Amami is less than happy.Korekiyo Shinguji, born with the mysterious ability to contact the dead, was stuck in a killing game. There, he made friends with two of his dead classmates, Rantaro Amami and his "murderer", Kaede Akamatsu.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede & Shinguji Korekiyo, Amami Rantaro & Akamatsu Kaede, Amami Rantaro & Shinguji Korekiyo, Amami Rantaro/Shinguji Korekiyo
Comments: 35
Kudos: 100





	1. I Know a Lady, Good and Evil, (Showed Me That I Was a Gentleman)

**Author's Note:**

> OMG WOW THIS AN ACTUAL FIC AND NOT LIKE MY CHATFIC 
> 
> let's see if I can actually finish this one COUGH COUGH BACKWARDS (WAS ASS IT'S REALLY BAD I HATE IT) COUGH COUGH
> 
> I actually am really passionate about this idea tho and it's only 5 chapters so that will make things. easier

A note for Akamatsu Kaede-  
\--Shinguji Korekiyo

Dear Ms. Akamatsu,

How are things? Are they well?

I'm pleased the ritual worked the first time, and that you managed to communicate with me.

How is Rantaro? He's still refused (or been unable to, perhaps) appear before me.

I assume you'll still meet me for tea at a quarter past two?

Wishing you well,

Shinguji Korekiyo  
\--

Korekiyo Shinguji had known for a while that he was not exactly a "standard-issue" human being. 

He was tall, thin, and gave off an aura of malice, but he meant no harm.

However, those traits were possessed by many others, and were not what made him truly unique.

He could make contact with the spirit world.

The strength of his life force far surpassed that of anyone else he'd met, and he had developed a habit of performing seances.

Here was how it worked.

Spirits, or Ghosts (those no longer in the land of the living, he mused) were in a plane not quite like the living world.

Imagine it as layers in a drawing. Let's say, FireAlpaca or any digital art program worth its salt.

"The Human World" (although both planes were for humans) was one layer, completely opaque and full of life and colors.

"The Spirit World" was another layer, placed on top of the layer of "The Human World", and at 50% opacity.

"The Spirit World" could observe and touch the previous layer ("The Human World"), but could not physically interact with or change anything about it.

That was the best way to simply explain the properties of the many layers of the world.

Anyways, Ghosts could observe, but not disturb. However, if a human were to focus all their life force into welcoming a Spirit, said Spirit could hone in on the life force and latch onto it, thus temporarily pulling them once again into the land of the living.

Korekiyo was exceptionally skilled at this.

He would talk to random Ghosts and other Beings when he was young, but most other people just wrote it off as one of the many odd behaviors one exhibits as a child.

And so, Korekiyo Shinguji had been thrown face-first into a killing game.

His skill became incredibly practical.

Still, he kept it a secret.

Once Rantaro Amami had been murdered, (What a shame, Korekiyo had thought. He seemed a bright mind.) he tried to contact him. He'd set up the circle in his room, sat down, and waited. He focused. Hard. All to no avail.

Rantaro just didn't seem like he wanted to be contacted at the present moment.

And yet another unfortunate incident, the class trial.

He was forced to sit and watch as one of his classmates was executed in one of the most gruesome ways possible.

And once Kaede Akamatsu was dead and gone, life moved on.

He attempted to contact Rantaro again, but this time, someone else grasped the edge of his life force and pulled themself through.

Kaede.

"I... What?" She said with wide eyes, wispy form appearing before Korekiyo.

"I see." He muttered. "It was successful."

"What the hell?" She said, panicking. "I can't be here, why am I here?"

"Relax, Akamatsu." Korekiyo sighed, eyes closing as he focused on evening his energy and breathing. This made it easier for the Spirits to keep contact.

"Why are _you_ the one talking to me?" 

"Because I called for you. Simple as that."

"I mean, I just saw a light, I thought it was another person..." She said, calming down.

Korekiyo's eyes slid open again, focusing on the former Ultimate Pianist.

"I am a person, as you expected. I was just meaning to talk to you."

"Why did you want to talk to me? And why am I here? I was in the afterlife! Did you like, pull me through or something?" 

"Give me a moment to collect my thoughts." Korekiyo said, somewhat forcefully. He took a deep breath, and began to speak again.

"You are a Spirit. A Ghost. The energy left behind of someone who has passed on. I have the ability to communicate with you, but it takes a bit of effort."

"Well, why do you want to talk to _me?_ I'm a disgusting murderer!" Kaede said, eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"Do you honestly think that bothers me?" Korekiyo said, genuinely curious. There was silence for a few heartbeats, and then he began speaking again.

"My original intent was to converse with Amami, but you will certainly do."

"Oh, Rantaro? Why hasn't he been talking to you? He's probably here! I have to check!"

"Let us move on."

Kaede sat down modestly on the floor across from Korekiyo. He could tell she was beginning to adjust.

"So why did you try to contact Rantaro in the first place?" Kaede asked, eyebrows scrunched together like she was deep in thought.

"Something seemed a tad off about the trial. I couldn't quite explain it... Someone's alibi didn't seem solid. I can't place my finger on exactly who, but we left an alibi unverified."

"So? I killed him! I know I did!"

"But what if there is the smallest chance you didn't?" Korekiyo said. The room fell silent.

"I can't believe you're trying to prove my innocence after this, Kiyo! It's not fair. I killed Rantaro! I was executed, fair and square! For it to be for _nothing?_ That would break my heart! The mastermind wouldn't even be following their own rules!"

"That is precisely how you might be innocent. The mastermind, breaking their own rules, framing you for a murder you already thought you had committed anyways. The perfect crime, no?" 

Dead silence, yet again.

"It's not fair." She said quietly, and her tone almost broke Korekiyo's heart.

"Life isn't, but isn't that beautiful?"

"You're weird."

Korekiyo shrugged. He had been called worse.

"Is there anything you wish to ask me, before you go?"

"You didn't entirely answer my question, why do you seem so intent on talking to Rantaro?"

"He seemed a kind soul. I would have liked to have known him better." Korekiyo replied, staring into Kaede's eyes with an unreadable expression on his face. He had quite liked Amami, from the few times they had spoken. He'd promised to paint his nails. He could never keep the promise, unfortunately.

"He was nice, a bit mysterious though. I'm sure he'll come talk to you sometime!"

Korekiyo sighed, and then smiled politely.

Kaede's eyes widened after a moment, realizing her grip on this plane was fading. "What's..."

"I am running out of energy, so you will be sent back into the Spirit realm. Our time today is up." Korekiyo sighed, and smoothed his hair. "I will see you again tomorrow, no? If you would still like to talk?"

Kaede brightened. "I'll try to get Rantaro to see you next time, okay?"

Korekiyo nodded. "That would be rather adequate."

Kaede smiled, and then suddenly disappeared. It was as if she was never there in the first place.

\---

Kaede Akamatsu was dead.

She was gone. Forever.

Just beyond the veil.

So, why was she in another world? Another plane?

Upon further inspection, she realized she could see those who were still alive and touch them, but couldn't move them, or move anything for that matter.

It was like being in a shitty point and click adventure game, she thought. You could touch things but couldn't interact with them.

Nobody alive could hear her. She walked towards Kirumi and touched her skin. It was like warm metal, radiating an almost painful heat, but immovable and solid. It didn't feel like skin at all.

Kirumi didn't notice, and kept cooking in the kitchen.

Kaede sat on the counter and watched her work.

Nobody sat in her or Rantaro's seats, just because they were gone didn't mean the others should pretend they never existed.

She sat down at the dinner table in her usual spot.

Nobody saw her.

It was like she was invisible. 

She didn't like the feeling. 

She wondered if it were her own personal hell, perhaps. So she set out to find Rantaro.

She wandered and wandered throughout the school. She checked the library, the casino (which had mysteriously opened up?), the game room, all the classrooms, and finally, the warehouse. He was absent from all of the rooms she had checked.

And then, she decided to check the dorms. 

Kaede Akamatsu was nobody's fool, but she felt awful dumb for not checking Rantaro's room first.

She entered the door, and then... realized she had been floating through walls. Like an actual ghost in stories. It was weird. It felt like passing through a thick layer of jello, but only for a split second.

She heard a noise come from Rantaro's room, and then she decided to check things out.

Kaede stood outside his door, and then knocked on it three times. "Rantaro? Are you there?" She asked, waiting for a reply. There was none.

She knocked again, and then finally decided to just enter his room.

Passing through the wall, the first thing she noticed about Rantaro's room was the faint weed smell. She had always kinda figured he was a stoner. The second thing she noticed, was Rantaro himself, sitting upside down on his ceiling with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.

"Um... What's that weed smell?" Kaede said, waiting for Rantaro to notice her. She supposed that the whole ghost thing was how he was defying gravity.

Rantaro's eyes were still screwed shut, and then he finally opened them.

He blinked a few times and stared down at Kaede for a moment, before calmly remarking "'Sup?"

 _"'Sup? That's all you have to say to me?"_ Kaede said angrily. _"I killed you!"_

"Nah, you didn't." Rantaro replied, tapping his foot against the ceiling.

"What?"

"I said you didn't kill me. Unless you weren't the one who rolled the shotput ball down the bookcase?" 

"I was! That's how I killed you."

"Nah."

_"Nah?"_

"I said, nah. Your shotput ball hit the ground next to my head. I thought I was so lucky, honestly. Then whoever actually killed me smacked me on the back of the head. I dunno who it was. Probably the mastermind." 

"How the hell are you so calm?"

"Because I'm dead. I was upset and then I got over it. Life moves on. Or, death moves on. Whatever, you know what I mean." Rantaro said, somewhat forcefully.

Kaede was silent for a while.

"I'm sorry. Korekiyo was right."

"Whaddya mean? When did you talk to Korekiyo?" Rantaro said, eyes widening and body language telling Kaede he was now paying attention.

"Woah there buddy, calm down. This is genuinely useful information, though. Kiyo can summon and talk to ghosts! You know how we can see the living world here? He can pull us out of this side dimension and into the real world where we can interact again, as spirits!"

"Hoooooooly shit that's a. Very useful skill he hadn't mentioned until now?"

"He mentioned that he wanted to talk to you and seemed a tad pissed that he summoned me instead, actually-" Kaede said, and then was cut off.

Rantaro's face turned slightly pink and he blurted "Why would he want to talk to me? He wanted to talk to me, are you sure he wanted to talk to me?"

Kaede laughed. "Yes, silly! He wanted to talk to you. He said he was out of energy but he'll try to summon me again tomorrow, so you can go instead this time! Just reach out towards the yellow glow once it appears, and he'll pull you through."

Rantaro's still-pink face was now buried in his arms. He regained his composure and looked up, or down, Kaede supposed. "Just grab onto the light? That's it?"

"Pretty much!"

"...Huh."

\---

Rantaro Amami was pissed, to say the least.

He thought he'd last _at least a little_ longer than the first murder.

Oh well, he thought. No use crying over spilled milk. What is done, is done.

This attitude was not typical of one who had been murdered, but Rantaro was unnecessarily nonchalant about most things.

So, he moved on.

Moving on was one of the only things he was good at.

So when Kaede barged into his room, he didn't understand why she made a big deal out of it.

She didn't kill him, anyways. Let bygones be bygones.

He didn't know who did. Most likely the mastermind, as they could pin the crime on Kaede without letting themself be executed.

Smart, really.

Rantaro Amami's last chain of thought went along the lines of "Oh shit, what's that sound from behind me? Oh shit! My skull's caved in! I never _did_ get to paint Korekiyo's nails like I promised. Maybe I won't die! I-" 

And then he died.

He remembered waking up alone in a world where everything was slightly wrong, and was promptly joined by Kaede. He had tried to see if anyone would see him, so he poked Shuichi's cheek for around 13 minutes, to no avail. He was bored for the first few hours before Kaede showed up.

He had tested the gravity of the plane, and then discovered he could bend the rules. He floated up toward the ceiling, and then sat down.

Kaede floated through the wall, and presto! They were just about up to the present.

When Kaede Akamatsu barged her way into his room, he was trying to chill. The first thing she did was comment on the weed smell. 

Jerkface. Not nice.

Rantaro wasn't too happy with their current situation, but he'd manage.

He could do it.

And then, Kaede told him that Korekiyo motherfuckin' Shinguji had the ability to pull them back into the real world, if only for a moment.

He'd placed his bets on Kiyo being a weirdo, and he was right. He was glad to be right.

It wasn't like he was overly excited to see him again.

Nope. Nada.

Rantaro didn't _do_ crushes. Not at all.

He was more of a casually platonic kinda guy.

But Korekiyo... His hair, his eyes, the way he spoke and laughed, the way he smelled... Rantaro would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little attracted to him.

Curse my rampant bisexuality, Rantaro thought.

Kaede had promised Kiyo that he'd talk to him next time he tried to summon a ghost, and Kaede intended on keeping that promise.

Rantaro didn't like dealing with the people he liked. They always made him feel nervous and sweaty and kind of gross and too warm and embarrassed.

And he knew that was somewhat normal, but still. He preferred to not seek out embarrassment.

Oh well, he thought. I guess I just _have_ to deal with someone I want to spend more time with. Uh oh!

He smiled softly to himself after Kaede left. 

He buried his face in his hands.

_God, this was so middle school._

He was blushy and awkward and Rantaro Amami _didn't do "blushy awkward mess"._

He'd been in an odd mood since he'd entered the afterlife.

The first two things he noticed were that he felt really odd and that he was unnaturally cold.

It wasn't like he could go put on a sweater or something, he was stuck cold forever. 

So, he left his room to go see the others for the first time, and there they were.

Scattered all among the school, the living radiated a sort of warmth. Rantaro was glad that his friends were now living space heaters.

Then, he found Korekiyo.

The first thing Rantaro noticed about him was that he already had a sort of ghostly presence inside of him, like he was half-dead or something. 

Weird.

Rantaro realized after a moment that Korekiyo's warmth was different from everyone else's.

Instead of a radiating warmth, Korekiyo's was inviting, tantalizing, almost drawing him in.

He touched Kiyo's skin, and it felt like pleasantly warm metal. 

He wanted to wrap his arms around Kiyo's neck and wrap himself around his body like a cat basking in the heat of a roaring fireplace on a crisp winter day.

So he waited, following the other boy around. Kaede said to grab out towards the light once it appeared.

And finally, around three o' clock, Korekiyo wandered into his room. He sat down on his bed, closed his eyes, and suddenly a warm light was enveloping him.

Rantaro followed Kaede's advice, reaching out towards Kiyo.

He felt the world lurch, and then settle.

When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in Korekiyo's room.

"Oh! I'm pleased to see you. I was wondering when you'd finally show up."


	2. Despair is Less Abundant in Those Who Understand How To Plant Their Hearts in Community Gardens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korekiyo talks
> 
> Kaede flies
> 
> Rantaro wanders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! im sorry this took so long to finish my goodness. i'm a mess lmao

A note for Amami Rantaro-  
\--Shinguji Korekiyo

Dear Mr. Amami,

How are you, my mysterious friend? You refuse to appear before me, so I am taking the liberty of sliding this under your door and hoping you notice.

Your presence intrigues me, it is almost as if I can feel you just beyond my grasp.

How does it feel, being a ghost?

I wish I got to know you better.

Wishing you well,

Shinguji Korekiyo  
\--

Korekiyo Shinguji was pleasantly surprised as Amami materialized in front of him, blinking in confusion for a few moments.

His translucent body shimmered warmly, the low light of his room making the gentle glow more prominent. Rantaro's hand was reaching out towards Kiyo's arm when he materialized, and he was still grabbing it.

They locked eyes for a second, and time seemed to stop.

And then, Korekiyo said "Oh! I'm pleased to see you. I was wondering when you'd finally show up." and burst the bubble.

Rantaro let go of his arm and awkwardly said "Hey." He rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Korekiyo smiled at him. 

Rantaro sat back onto his heels, taking a deep breath in and puffing his cheeks out as he exhaled.

"What am I... doing here?" He said, looking around. "Kaede said you wanted to see me?"

Korekiyo could swear the air was getting warmer around him.

"Ah, well, yes. I wanted to contact you because, well, you seemed to know more than you let on. You seemed clever, and I wanted you 'on my team', so to speak."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I want to take down the mastermind, of course. I thought you might be useful in that quest, along with Kaede."

"I mean that makes sense."

Korekiyo was quiet for a bit.

"Did you watch the trial?"

"Huh?" Rantaro replied, snapping back into focus.

"Did you watch the class trial we held for your murder?"

"Oh. I... didn't."

"Well, I find it fairly crucial to what I need to ask of you. So, I will provide a quick recap. Kaede Akamatsu set up a rube goldberg machine-like device, and rolled a shotput ball down it to kill you. Shuichi convicted her, and is now our sort-of... leader, I suppose? I'm not sure. Does any of that sound correct?"

"Well, I know that she was executed. I know that she died. But she didn't kill me. Her shotput ball missed. Someone else caved my brains in."

"As I suspected. Something seemed odd about the trial."

"Odd how?"

"Well, almost as if we didn't pursue an alibi as far as I- we... could have."

"Why the 'I'?"

"Just a slip of the tongue. Pay it no mind." 

They sat there in silence a little longer.

Kiyo was saddened by how awkward their interactions had been. He really wanted to know him better.

Oh well. Time goes on.

Rantaro Amami, sitting crosslegged on his floor, with dried blood on his head. Korekiyo was sure that if he looked hard enough, Amami's brains could be seen.

Imagine that.

"Hey, Kiyo? What do you know that you aren't telling me?"

He could tell him that his brain was infested with a parasite, no, his "lover," but he didn't want to. He didn't want them to meet.

He could tell Rantaro that he had grown somewhat fond of his presence, but he didn't.

So, instead, he elected to awkwardly spout a random factoid.

"Nothing, really. Did you know that in some medieval communities, they'd build windows crooked so that witches couldn't fly through on their broomsticks?"

Nice going, Korekiyo.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

They were quiet again for a little bit.

And then, by some miracle, Rantaro laughed his gorgeous laugh. 

He stopped laughing after a moment with a smile on his face, and then said "You know what? I like you, Korekiyo. You're cool. You're kind."

Korekiyo smiled at him. "You're quite enjoyable as well, Amami."

Rantaro smiled that beautiful smile. At him.

_"You might as well be head-over-heels already."_ A familiar voice scoffed in his head.

He sighed. In his head.

_Sister, it's not like that._

_"You do know I can hear your thoughts? Get yourself back on track. You're doing this for me, remember? Because you love me?"_

_Yes, of course._

Rantaro was staring at him now.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing! Lost in thought, is all."

"Oh, okay."

They stalled, then spoke.

"So-"

"I-"

"Oh, haha, we're both speakin' at the same time, you go first."

"Ah. Well, it pains me to say that I'm running out of energy. I must say, though, you connect with my energy a lot more seamlessly than Kaede or anyone else I've talked to. Almost as if we just... for lack of a better word, click."

"Was it really easier?"

"Very much so."

"Oh... nice! So, you said you're running out of energy, though... What does that mean?"

"It means we will slowly lose connection. I'd prefer to cut it off a little early but have some time for tomorrow. Does that sound alright?"

"Yeah! See you tomorrow."

Rantaro smiled, and then closed his eyes. He slipped away, and then was gone.

Korekiyo involuntarily smiled to himself.

\---

Kaede Akamatsu was on the second floor of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.

She let out a long sigh.

She still didn't really understand the mechanics of being a ghost, but she was keen to understand it better.

She could... float, more or less, like traditional ghosts in movies did, however she wasn't too good at controlling herself. 

Closing her purple eyes as she inhaled, she concentrated on keeping herself steady, and slowly drifted into the air.

Rantaro lazily floated past, and said "You haven't even mastered levitation yet?"

Startled from her concentrated daze, she jumped about a mile.

"What do you mean? How is ghost stuff so, well, _easy for you?_ "

"Dunno, man," He yawned, stretching his arms out and landing on the ceiling. He stood up, upside-down. Like he was Spider-Man. It was kinda freaky. "Guess I just adapt well."

"Guess so."

They were quiet for a bit.

"I can teach you, I guess. If you want."

"Well, uhm, sure? I guess... If it's not too much trouble!" Kaede said, awkwardly stammering over her words.

"Nah, 's all good." Rantaro shrugged. He pushed off of the ceiling, flipping around and standing on the floor. "So, it's kinda like zero gravity once you get the hang of it."

"Well, okay... How do I, like... Do it?"

Rantaro laughed for a second, and went back to explaining. "I don't really have the ability to pinpoint exactly how, you just gotta relax. Walk towards the wall, and put your foot on it. Then just kinda mentally treat it as another floor."

She put her foot up, closed her eyes, and took a step. 

Kaede was now standing on the wall.

She inhaled sharply, panic filling her expression.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's not too bad. Just take a sec to adjust."

"This isn't too bad!" She said triumphantly.

"Now, just sorta, well, jump. Jump and don't think." He said, coaching her through it.

So she took that leap of faith.

And then, nothing.

There was nothing around her. She wasn't touching anything.

"What the-"

She focused.

"How do I move?" She asked, sort of making a swimming motion in the air.

Rantaro started giggling. "Not like that, that's what I'm gonna say."

"Okay, how do I do it then, Mr. I'm-So-Good-At-Being-A-Ghost?"

"So, just. Think about where you wanna be, which direction you wanna go, etc."

She sort of leaned forward, thinking about moving towards her lab. 

And miraculously, she moved.

"Hey, you got it!" Rantaro said, smiling at her like a proud dad would smile at his kid who just learned how to ride a bike.

She beamed, floating around in circles.

"Thanks!"

"No problem, dude. 'S not like there's literally anything else I had to do, so don't feel bad." He smiled.

"What about talkin' to Korekiyo? That's become a regular part of your schedule."

Rantaro flushed and crossed his arms, looking away from Kaede.

"Well, we usually meet at 4. Still have another hour."

"Oh, okay! Makes sense."

Kaede tapped her fingers along her arms, which were now crossed.

"It's odd that the killing game's been halted for now. You'd think more stuff would happen, right?"

"Are you sayin' you're sad no more killings have happened?"

"No! Not at all... I was just wondering seeing as Monokuma's been really adamant and pushy about the whole murder thing." She said defensively.

"Oh. Well, yeah, that's a little weird. Haven't even seen a new motive yet."

"I'm sure there'll be one soon... Ugh, I don't want any more killings! I can't take it." Kaede groaned, putting her face in her hands. "The more people in this weird little ghost realm, the worse. I can't stand seeing our friends die."

Rantaro sighed, tapping his foot on the floor. (It must have been a nice floor once, but now it was overgrown with plants. Kaede felt a certain type of sadness just looking at it. Almost like the loss of what had been.) 

He looked at the window thoughtfully. "Well, it's not like we can really do much about it. Doesn't make it any less sad, though."

Kaede nodded.

She was tired. 

"I'm gonna head out. See you around!" She smiled, walking quietly from the room. She didn't see Rantaro wave lazily in her direction, but somewhere in her soul, she knew that he did.

\---

Rantaro Amami was waiting. Waiting wasn't fun, unless you liked something along the lines of the scent of a doctor's office and the sound of people coughing awkwardly as they were forced to sit next to someone they didn't know.

He'd taught Kaede how float properly, and she had gone her merry little way.

He had waved to her as she walked out of the room with a spring in her step.

Where was she going?

That was her business, he supposed.

Well, Korekiyo was going to see him soon. Almost like a therapy appointment, but more fun. Less talking about trauma. Hang out for like an hour or so (Kiyo's stamina had gotten used to summoning Rantaro) and then he'd lose connection and dip.

Rantaro reflexively checked his wrist and then remembered he didn't wear a watch. He glanced towards the clock on the wall, reading that it said 3:24. Or maybe it was 3:34, the overgrown plants made it hard to read.

He set off to find Korekiyo, walking briskly down the hallway. He was sure Kiyo would be in his room, but it didn't hurt to check the vast campus of the Academy. What harm could a little exercise do, anyways?

Hallway after hallway, twisting side-halls and rooms and doors everywhere, old creaky floorboards and overgrown walls. An unassuming chill that one could never quite place. Looking distinctly new, but yet so, so old.

That was what the Ultimate Academy meant to Rantaro Amami.

He was a cold, cold ghost. He could never quite get over the chill of the academy when he was alive, and now that he was dead? Being naturally frigid helped absolutely nothing at all. 

Walking along, his fingers traced the cracked paint of the wall. The texture was nice on his fingertips. 

He nearly tripped at least 3 times. Somebody needed to do a hell of a lot of maintenance on this place. Maybe Kirumi would do something.

He never really got to know her. She seemed motherly.

She had cooked for them. She was an incredible cook.

Oh well, he didn't need to eat anything now.

Continuing on his way, he wandered. He was really good at wandering.

The clocks seemed almost impossibly fast. It was already nearly 4:00.

Rantaro stretched his back. 

He phased through the door that led outside, and then through the door into the dormitories.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into Kiyo's room. The other boy was waiting for him, already trying to summon him. He hastily reached out towards Korekiyo's hand.

The world lurched again, and his hand was grabbing Kiyo's.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Rantaro's eyes widened, and he dropped Kiyo's hand. If his heart could beat, it'd be beating at a million miles per hour.

Korekiyo laughed softly, covering his mouth with his hand.

Rantaro awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and laughed too, sitting down.

"Hey. How's it hangin?" He said.

"As well as one can in the midst of a murder game. And you?" Kiyo replied calmly.

"I wandered for a while. This school makes me feel depressed."

"It is rather gloomy..."

"But, hey! At least I've got talkin' to you to look forward to." Rantaro said, elbowing Kiyo in the ribs. 

He coughed, and then responded with "You look forward to conversing with me?"

Rantaro panicked internally, and hastily exclaimed "Well, you're my only link to the living people-"

"Yes, of course-"

And then they sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute.

"I hate all this awkwardness between us." Rantaro sighed, breaking the silence. Korekiyo nodded in agreement.

"Perhaps I should just start summoning Kaede again..." Kiyo said.

"Not what I meant."

"Well then, what did you mean?"

"I meant like... I want to get to know you better."

"Oh."

Rantaro stood up. He yawned, and then turned to Kiyo and extended his hand.

"Wanna go on a walk?"

"I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hrngh this is bad but tysm for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS BAD BUT THANKS FOR READING MY GUYS


End file.
